- Luke Zahm: This week on Wisconsin Foodie: - My name is Itaru Nagano, and we're at Fairchild's Restaurant.

I try to keep everything very simple with the local ingredients.

Just like a few different things, and then just focus on those flavors.

- There's not a lot of people I don't think that could work in, like, a two-chef team, like the capacity that we do.

But we've just always got along really well and seen eye-to-eye on most things.

So, one of the farms we work with all the time throughout the year is Dream Farm.

They make, in our eyes, the best goat cheese in the state.

- So we've got a variety of cheeses here today.

Some goat milk, some cow milk.

- Let's try 'em.

It's so well balanced to me that when we use it a lot of times, we just don't do anything to it 'cause it's just so good.

- This is a masterpiece.

It's truly gorgeous.

But the richness of this salmon, when seared with salt on the outside and that crispy crunch with the cool refreshing texture of the goat cheese, kind of all comes together in one beautiful bite.

That's rock 'n' roll.

[soft piano music] - Announcer: Wisconsin Foodie would like to thank the following underwriters: - The dairy farmers of Wisconsin are proud to underwrite Wisconsin Foodie, and remind you that in Wisconsin, we dream in cheese.

[crowd cheering] Just look for our badge.

It's on everything we make.

[birds chirp] - I'm going out to pasture with the cows this morning.

- At Organic Valley, we're on a mission to save small family farms.

- Farmer: Tasting pretty good?

- And you can join us.

[farmer laughs] - Girlfriend's on a mission!

- Organic Valley.

- Twenty-minute commutes.

Weekends on the lake.

Warm welcomes!

And exciting career opportunities.

Not to mention all the great food.

There's a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin!

Learn more at InWisconsin.com [lively banjo music] - Employee-owned New Glarus Brewing Company has been brewing and bottling beer for their friends only in Wisconsin since 1993.

Just a short drive from Madison, come visit "Swiss"consin and see where your beer is made.

- Wisconsin's great outdoors has something for everyone.

Come for the adventure; stay for the memories.

Go wild in Wisconsin!

To build your adventure, visit DNR.WI.GOV.

- With additional support coming from The Conscious Carnivore.

From local animal sourcing to onsite high-quality butchering and packaging, the Conscious Carnivore can ensure organically raised, grass-fed, and healthy meats through its small group of local farmers.

The Conscious Carnivore, know your farmer, love your butcher.

- Additional support from the following underwriters: Also with the support of Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

[upbeat music] - Luke Zahm: We are a collection of the finest farmers, food producers, and chefs on the planet.

We are a merging of cultures and ideas shaped by this land.

We are a gathering of the waters, and together, we shape a new identity to carry us into the future.

We are storytellers.

We are Wisconsin Foodie!

[paper tearing] [bright, upbeat music] Luke: Today's travels take us to Madison, a rising restaurant, one with two chefs at the helm.

Chef Itaru and Chef Andy have created this beautiful arrangement.

Fairchild, located on Monroe Street in Madison, is the home where they share each plate, each idea, and the dining experience that's kind of catching the state by storm.

I'm so excited to see what Chef Andy and Chef Itaru put together that features the local farming community.

[enchanting flute music] - My name is Itaru Nagano, and we're at Fairchild Restaurant.

I was born in Japan, and then I moved to Madison when I was about nine.

I grew up near this neighborhood, and I got my cooking career here, moved around to New York, DC, LA, Arizona, and then came back here.

I try to keep everything very simple, not overly complicated.

I think that's what the Japanese style is, is very simple, simplified food, and I like that.

Here I use it with the local ingredients, just like a few different things, and then just focus on those flavors.

Andy and I met like 10 years ago at a restaurant in Madison, and we got along right away because he had come back from out of state and worked at really good restaurants around the country.

He was also a skateboarder.

So we got along just right away.

- Andrew Kroeger: We really kind of set out to just be like a neighborhood restaurant, just a casual place to go, with really good food.

You can imagine, like, two chefs running a restaurant, we're lacking in some areas, but we decided to put all our focus and effort into the food and the service as our primary goal.

I mean, me and Itaru share a lot of things together.

Like, we work really well together.

He just has, like, a really good palate, really good technique, and just executes everything really well.

He's also a really good dishwasher, so that helps a lot.

There's not a lot of people I don't think that could work in, like, a two-chef team, like the capacity that we do.

But we've just always got along really well and seen eye-to-eye on most things, so it works out.

- Itaru Nagano: So, like coming into this restaurant, when we opened it, we just said we're gonna get the best produce, and we're not gonna mess it up.

We're gonna treat it with respect and present it as perfect as we can.

And I hope that the diners leave thinking that they just had a great meal and the produce that we got were represented properly.

We wanna support local farmers.

So, when we opened, we just said, "We wanna be the middlemen of this great produce "that we have in Wisconsin "and utilize as much local products that we can and do it simply and the right way."

- Andy Kroeger: One of the farms we work with all the time throughout the year is Dream Farm.

They make, in our eyes-- mine and Itaru's eyes-- the best goat cheese in the state.

The people are great.

Their farm is beautiful.

The products they make is awesome.

So, it's just, all in all, a good relationship we have with them.

[lighthearted piano music] - Itaru Nagano: Andy and I are going to Dream Farm to pick up some cheeses and visit Diana and Alicia.

Yeah, it's important to us because we get to see what their production is like, and we see the beautiful scenery in Wisconsin, and you know, all the farms are just beautiful around here, and you just feel closer to what they love, and, you know, we're able to represent their love in our food and on our menu.

[lighthearted piano music] [rooster crowing] - Diana Kalscheur-Murphy: Okay, Alma, Francine, Opal, and Russo.

Okay, I'm not gonna sit and chase ya.

Come on, come on, Opal.

Is that you Russo?

[lighthearted piano music] I'm Diana Kalscheur-Murphy, and we are at Dream Farm in Cross Plains, Wisconsin.

And what are you girls doing?

[dog barking] It's not normally like this.

They usually come right on.

So, we started milking at 4:30.

Now, we'll go into the cheesery, and we've got fresh curd that we have to dip into baskets to drain.

And then, we'll stretch mozzarella.

Get anything ready for market, that needs to get packed.

Then, we'll come back out here at 3:30.

Start milking again.

We've got eggs to collect.

All the animals need to get fed.

Let's go, girls.

[Alicia bangs on bucket, dog barks] Once that's done, that's usually around 6:30.

[gate swinging open] Make sure the final coolers are packed for market and that will be the day.

Well, I grew up on a dairy farm, your typical Wisconsin 40-cow farm, and I loved growing up on the farm, but I did not wanna be a farmer when I grew up.

So when I graduated from high school, I went on to commercial art school, and I loved it.

I loved working in the dark room.

I loved doing illustrations.

So, I was in the field that career for quite a few years, and then, it started phasing into the computer end of it, and I did not like sitting at a computer and doing design work.

So, I phased out of that.

We were starting our family at that time, and along with kids, we decided to bring in a couple of animals, and I realized I really missed having animals on the farm or in my life, and that was-- we just lived in a little nine-acre place.

So, really not enough to have a farm, but we could have some animals.

So, I pursued expanding from there.

I was working at a CSA farm, and, at the same time, raising my animals.

And I would bring the extra eggs and cheese that I was making for the workers at that farm, and the owners of the CSA farm said, "Would you like to have your cheese and eggs as another option for our CSA choices?"

And so, I thought that was a great opportunity.

The market was there.

So we actually have a variety of projects going on at the farm here, but the main project or the main enterprise is our dairy goats.

So, they are milked twice a day, and then we make cheese in our licensed facility here on the farm and sell that cheese to restaurants, farmer's market, and a couple of stores.

So the main cheese we produce is the fresh chèvre, which is a fresh goats' milk cheese, spreadable, used in a variety of ways.

We do it in a variety of flavors.

We make a bloomy rind cheese, which is similar to a brie, and we make an aged cheese when we have extra milk to use.

And then, from the cows' milk, we make mozzarella, queso fresco, and an aged cheese that we call Arthur.

The Arthur Cheese, so that is named after my father, and he was a great dairyman.

He raised a family of 13 on the farm, and so it's a cheese in his honor.

Well, hi, June.

Hi, June; you come to say hi?

Hmm?

I will go get cleaned up, and then we'll head over to the cheese facility.

Well, when I first started this, working with chefs wasn't even on my radar.

I just wanted to be home with my family and doing something on the farm where I wasn't out in the business world.

And then we got involved with L'Etoile, and he's been great to work with, just knowing what he does with the product and how happy he is to use the product.

And then, from there, we met Itaru and Andy because they worked at L'Etoile.

So, working with them is great too.

They're just great people to work with.

[upbeat music] Today Itaru and Andy from Fairchild will be coming to sample some of our cheeses.

Hi, Itaru.

- Hey, Diana - Hi, Andy.

Good to see you, welcome.

How's the morning going?

- Good, how about you?

- Going good, going fast!

- Good, awesome.

- We've got your cheese all set to go.

- Great.

So we've got a variety of cheeses here today.

Some goat milk, some cow milk.

The fresh chèvre plain is what you buy from us for the variety of great meals you make in your restaurant.

And then, this is also a goats' milk cheese.

This is a bloomy rind.

Now, it's not at its full depth of flavor yet.

That's how they look at the beginning, and then, they grow this nice white rind on the outside.

And then, we wrap it, and it really needs to age for, I would say, another week or so before it's at its full depth of flavor.

But you'll get an idea of the cheese we're working towards.

Then these two cheeses are cow milk cheeses, and you can see the difference in color between goat milk and cow milk.

The jersey cow is out on pasture, they pass on all that good greens on through into the milk, and that's where you get that nice golden color.

The goats are out on pasture, but their bodies break it down differently, and so the pasture doesn't come through in their milk.

The pasture color.

Then again, there are two very different cheeses.

The queso fresco we made on Tuesday.

It's meant to be eaten fresh.

If it aged, it would just turn very acidic and sour and wouldn't be good.

The Arthur is an aged cheese, so the longer it ages, the deeper that flavor becomes.

So, even though it's the same milk, it's just different processes and very different flavors.

- Oh, let's try 'em.

- Diana: Yeah, dig in.

- It's so well-balanced to me that, like, when we use it, a lot of times, we just don't do anything to it 'cause it's just so, so good.

- So, using products like yours that we don't have to do very much to it.

So, you guys kind of do all the work for us in that aspect, so we can just, you know...

It makes it really, you know, easy to work with.

- Well, it's nice to have someone who can take it and know what to do with it.

What's the best way to do it-- - Or, what not to do with it.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

So, this is the Arthur?

- It's a natural rind, and then we rub it with an olive oil, paprika, and oregano.

- Yeah, and that, to me, like, you can taste, like, the pasture comes through a lot in that.

Yeah, I think the Arthur is my favorite.

- Well, now try this one in comparison.

So, this is our first cow's milk of the year.

So you know, there's always that relearning... - Itaru: Yeah.

- After not doing it for a few months.

And it's such a different cheese.

It's made and pressed and ready to eat all in one day.

- Yeah, I wanna put in, like, an omelet or something.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah, that's really good.

What all is in that cheese, the queso fresco?

- So, it's basically just start out as the cows' milk, and then, when we have the curds all cut and drained, we add chili pepper, garlic, tomato, and salt.

And then all those curds are pressed into the mold.

- I think the name says it all there.

For the queso fresco is, like, it's just super fresh tasting and delicious.

- Okay, good.

For the first- - And balancing, and yeah, and very well balanced.

Like the right amount of salt.

- Not too salty.

- Not too much, other like the ingredients like balance out with the flavor of the cheese itself.

- Okay.

- Yeah, there's garlic in there.

But you can still taste the milk and-- - Okay, good.

- Andy: It's really good.

- We'll stay with that ratio.

- We'd love to take some of The Arthur back to the restaurant today.

- Great.

- Andy: Of course, we'll get some fresh goat cheese, and I think you wanna try the queso fresco?

- Itaru: Queso fresco?

Yeah.

- Okay.

- Which we'll probably just eat the queso fresco on the way back, and then... [laughter] Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

[gentle music] - Hey, what's up, chef?

- Hey, chef.

- How you doing?

- I'm fine.

- How's it going, chef?

- Hey, how are you?

- Good, good to see you guys.

- Good to see you.

I'm so happy to be here today at Fairchild, and thank you so much for having us in.

This is a restaurant that I've kind of held up as a benchmark, even for my staff.

We've come in and dined because I love the push/pull and the contrast that you two present in the restaurant on the plates and in the food.

What are we doing here today?

What are we cooking?

- Today, we're gonna be featuring some fresh goat cheese from Dream Farm.

So, we've got a salmon dish we're pairing the fresh chèvre with.

And then, we've also got a little bit of their cow's milk.

They make a really limited amount.

So, we're gonna be pairing that with a beet tartare.

- Aw, you said, beet?

- Beet, yep, not beef, beet tartare, so vegetarian.

- That sounds really, really fun.

Again, I'm so excited to be here.

I'm gonna go sit down so you can get cracking with your service, but thanks again.

- It's good to see you.

Keep lifting people up.

- Thank you.

[light piano music] - Yeah, so I'm just cutting the cheese for the Beet tartare.

This is Arthur cheese, the cows' milk cheese from Dream Farm.

So, these are just beets that's been chopped finely, and cooked in red wine vinegar, some beet puree, some Chioggia, and then, sprouted legumes.

[light piano music] And here's our Arthur cheese that we picked up at the farm today.

Some potato chips and then some beets that's been pulverized, dehydrated and pulverized.

[light piano music] Here's your beet tartare with Dream Farm Arthur cheese and potato chips and beet dust.

- Thank you.

This looks beautiful.

Tartare usually indicates that it's raw, and you know, to be fair, beef tartare is something that I think people are really more familiar with, but this vegetable-inspired dish contains Arthur, Dream Farm's cows' milk cheese which I actually didn't even know they produced.

So, this, for me, is a first-time experience.

Every time I've dined at Fairchild, I'm always struck by the amazing contrast in the food.

If it's consistency, or color, the plating.

It very much alternates between being very refined and articulate.

And then sometimes it's just this massive explosion of flavor.

So I can see in there a brunoise, which is a really small dice.

You get that subtle earthiness of the beets.

You get the shoots, the young, young seeds that are sprouted here, and that really adds an element of texture and depth.

The Arthur cheese itself adds richness.

And then, that chip adds that splash of crunch that makes you feel like this is refreshing.

This is kind of...

It's like an experience that's not even based in food.

It's that good.

[light piano] - Portioning the salmon.

For our salmon this night, that's using our Dream Farm goat cheese.

This one is wild king salmon from Alaska.

We roast the king salmon.

Then, we have a squash puree on the bottom, which is gold summer squash, lemon peels, onions, and a little bit of lemon puree.

And then, we pair it with blanched green beans that's been dressed with a garlic vinaigrette, potato pave, and Dream Farm goat cheese.

Dream Farm goat cheese is the best because it's balanced.

It's so well balanced with salt and acidity and the creaminess.

I'm so used to eating it, I can't eat other goat cheeses.

It works well with so many different ingredients that it's really easy to use.

[light piano music] - Luke: Hey.

- Andy Kroeger: Hello.

- Oh, man.

- All right.

- This is gorgeous.

- Here we go.

Wild king salmon, squash puree, green beans with a garlic vinaigrette, potato pave, and then, some of that fresh Dream Farm goat cheese.

- Awesome, man, this looks spectacular!

The potato pave, the care and love in the vegetables, to see all these green beans all kind of cut in the same way.

Blanched, seasoned, they look perfect.

This dish looks almost too good to eat, man.

You are certainly doing Onalaska proud.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

Yeah, enjoy.

- This is a masterpiece.

It's truly gorgeous.

First and foremost, you could look at any single element of this dish and say, wow, that has been handled with love, and care, and precision, is an understatement.

The salmon is perfectly seared.

The quenelle of the Dream Farm goat cheese is immaculate.

The beautiful squares of that potato pave are expertly put together.

And I know I can see the seasoning on the outside.

It's just beckoning you to break 'em apart and taste it.

The green beans all cut to the same length, all seasoned.

But I think the star of this dish, the one that deserves the first taste, is the goat cheese.

Whoa.

Oh, man.

So, there's lemon in this base, and it adds a note of acidity.

And when you taste it with the goat cheese, it's almost like you're starting with dessert first.

But the really beautiful part, the texture, that creaminess, that richness, it just kind of cuts through everything.

You can tell that this was crafted with so much love and intention.

It's out of this world.

The salmon, the crispy skin on the outside with a little bit of this caviar, with a row, and that lemon curd on the bottom, and just a touch of that goat cheese.

Makes me want to quit cooking, honestly, [laughs] when you see people that are executing food at this level, and just killing it.

So, the combination of fish and cheese, at first glance, sometimes seems unusual, but the acidity, that tartness that you find in goat cheese really pairs well with the richness of the salmon.

I wouldn't say that goat cheese is a perfect foil for every fish.

In fact, it's quite the opposite.

But the richness of the salmon, when seared with salt on the outside, and that crispy crunch, with the cool refreshing texture of the goat cheese, kind of all comes together in one beautiful bite.

This is a perfect example of how one ingredient can shape an entire dining experience.

If it's the seared salmon or the beet tartare, Dream Farm goat cheese has certainly made its mark on this restaurant and in the world around us.

There are so many other ingredients that you can pull, and it really does take just that attention to detail with one thing that you might pick up at the market, or the farmer's market, or from the local vendors nearest to you.

Our state is filled with these amazing experiences, and all you have to do is look out your back door.

This is fantastic.

It tastes like the intention and the dream, and, quite frankly, the hard work of so many people to bring these amazing bites to your plate.

That's rock 'n' roll.

I could eat on that all day.

[upbeat techno music] - You're just gonna be right in this, aren't you, Fanny?

And bring the cheese to the farm where I was working to share with the other, the farm owners and the workers and the farm owners asked me if I'd be-- - Wait, one second, just cause she's so lovely that she's right on your microphone.

- Okay, this is Juniper, and she just calved three weeks ago.

She's a great jersey cow.

This is her... the fourth or fifth calving on our farm.

- Videographer: Trying to get everything.

- Yeah, I'm just gonna do one big-- [laughs] That's TV I wanna watch.

- Videographer: You should just... - And I'm like, oh, candy!

It's all going to the same place anyway.

- Announcer: Wisconsin Foodie would like to thank the following underwriters: - The dairy farmers of Wisconsin are proud to underwrite Wisconsin Foodie, and remind you that in Wisconsin, we dream in cheese.

[crowd cheering] Just look for our badge.

It's on everything we make.

[birds chirp] - I'm going out to pasture with the cows this morning.

- At Organic Valley, we're on a mission to save small family farms.

- Farmer: Tasting pretty good?

- And you can join us.

[farmer laughs] - Girlfriend's on a mission!

- Organic Valley.

- Twenty-minute commutes.

Weekends on the lake.

Warm welcomes!

And exciting career opportunities.

Not to mention all the great food.

There's a lot to look forward to in Wisconsin!

Learn more at InWisconsin.com [lively banjo music] - Employee-owned New Glarus Brewing Company has been brewing and bottling beer for their friends only in Wisconsin since 1993.

Just a short drive from Madison, come visit "Swiss"consin and see where your beer is made.

- Wisconsin's great outdoors has something for everyone.

Come for the adventure; stay for the memories.

Go wild in Wisconsin!

To build your adventure, visit DNR.WI.GOV.

- With additional support coming from The Conscious Carnivore.

From local animal sourcing to onsite high-quality butchering and packaging, the Conscious Carnivore can ensure organically raised, grass-fed, and healthy meats through its small group of local farmers.

The Conscious Carnivore, know your farmer, love your butcher.

- Additional support from the following underwriters: Also with the support of Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you'll find past episodes and special segments just for you.

[flute music]